After the patriarch's kind and grateful words, I was sent back to the guest room to rest and enjoy their hospitality. While I returned to training, I couldn't help but ponder on my next step. This wasn't a long term solution. I couldn't stay as a guest in the Lan family's household forever.
My goal was to marry Lan Bei Er and to live happily and peacefully. However, I understood the Lan family's position, as well as Lan Bei Er's status in the White Herb Sect. Even if her parents approved of the marriage, there was still the White Herb Sect to consider.
Well then, the solution was simple. I would just have to deal with the White Herb Sect…either by destroying them (easier said than done) or earning their recognition. Master Lan's proposal was feasible. While I obviously didn't fit into the White Herb Sect because of my lack of medical knowledge, I should be able to join one of the other major sects pretty easily.
Any one of them would be dying to recruit an innate realm cultivator like me. The problem, of course, was keeping my Heaven and Earth techniques secret, otherwise the orthodox sects would descend upon me like heaven's judgement. Yeah, you probably read a thousand cultivator web novels praising the virtues of strength and all that nonsense, but realistically speaking, I couldn't solo an entire orthodox sect on my own. And I didn't have plot armor, so don't count on that to pull me out of the fire when I ran into someone stronger. You know what they say, there was always a taller mountain. It might not apply to cultivation story protagonists, but I wasn't a cultivation story protagonist. I was the antagonist. The villain, for heaven's sake.
So obviously I couldn't be reckless and destroy the White Herb Sect. Besides, that would also bring trouble to the Lan family. What was going to happen to them if the orthodox sects learned that they had been unknowingly harboring a demonic cultivator? My goal was to live peacefully and happily, not force the Lan family into the abyss with me.
"I guess I'll have to join one of the other six major orthodox sects then," I remarked thoughtfully to myself and placed a finger on my chin. I was going to pretend, of course. My true allegiance – if I could call it that – lay with the Heaven and Earth Sect…
Wait, why should I care about the Heaven and Earth Sect? I was a villain. Nobody was going to bat an eyelash if I betrayed the Heaven and Earth Sect and left them. My future wife was more important.
"Yeah, let's go along with that for now…"
I hadn't even finished my sentence when I noticed the presences of two people creeping outside my room. I waited for them to enter, but it appeared that they were hiding some distance away, watching my room. What were they up to?
"Do they not want to come in?" I was annoyed, wondering if they were wasting my time. Then I realized what they were trying to do. It reminded me of my time in the Heaven and Earth Sect when I had rivals tried to sneak into my abode after I went to bed. Assassinations were common in demonic sects, even among fellow sect members. It was only natural – if you killed a rival, you could take his place and rank.
But there shouldn't be anybody in Azure Cloud City or the Lan family who had a reason to kill me.
"Let's just play along with them for now."
I switched off the lights by deactivating the spirit crystals that powered them, and then I climbed into bed and waited. I took my glasses off to complete the illusion – if they snuck in and noticed that I was wearing them when in bed, they might think something was amiss.
Just as I predicted, a few minutes after I pretended to be asleep, the two figures darted into my room. They opened the door as quietly as possible, and then tiptoed to my bedside stealthily. One of them raised a dagger and plunged it down.
"A bit rude, don't you think?" I asked as I seized his wrist. The both of them gasped in surprise. Before the assailant could react, I crushed the bones in his hand, causing him to scream, and then I swung him about to smack right into his partner. The both of them went down in an untidy heap. I then rose from the bed, put my glasses back on, and glared at them. "Who are you, and why did you attack me?"
As my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, I recognized them as the servants of the Lan family. Did the Lan family betray me? After all those platitudes of gratitude and praises, they decided to kill me so that they could get out of Lan Bei Er's promised marriage to me?
"Who…who are you?!" one of the servants spluttered. "How can you be so strong? And weren't you supposed to be asleep?!"
His companion smacked him in the head. "Obviously! He was capable of slaying a Red Python and bringing its blood back for the master! Of course he would be strong!"
"So your master decided to kill me even though I saved his life? How ungrateful." I didn't care if he was my future father-in-law. If he had tried to have me killed, then I was going to fight back. I wasn't so nice that I would let my in-laws walk all over my head like this.
"No, quite the contrary!" One of the servants snapped, the one with the broken hand. "He's so grateful that he wants to marry you to the young miss! But we can't allow that to happen!"
"Who are you to allow or disallow that?" I snorted. "You're just a servant."
"We want what's best for the Lan family! We've served them our whole lives!" The other servant pointed at me accusingly. "You're not worthy of the young miss! If we can kill you, then she doesn't have to marry you. Even the master can't do anything about it if you're already dead!"
Ah, so that explained it. My future father-in-law didn't command it. Rather, he was more than happy to marry his daughter off to me. The servants, on the other hand, couldn't accept his decision, so decided to take matters into their own hands by assassinating me at night.
What fools.
"The young miss should marry someone as powerful and influential as the young master from the Jian family! The next successor to the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion! His future is limitless, unlike an unknown like you!"
"Yeah! You're just a toad lusting after swan's meat!"
"Just obediently die already!"
The unwounded servant leaped at me, brandishing his own dagger. Before he could reach me, however, his body disintegrated.
"W…what just happened?" The servant with the broken hand stared at the remains of his erstwhile partner, unable to comprehend. I had moved so quickly that his eyes weren't able to follow my movements. A small variation of Heaven and Earth Strike had simply obliterated the assailant from existence. He really couldn't stand even a single blow.
I then turned toward him. The servant with the broken hand shrieked and backed off. He then dropped to his knees and kowtowed desperately, pressing his forehead against the floor.
"Sorry, great master! I didn't know you were at least an innate realm cultivator! Otherwise, even if you give me ten times the courage, I still wouldn't dare to attack you! Please spare me!"
"Would you have spared me if I was the one at your mercy?" I asked coldly. The guy wasn't given a chance to answer. His body exploded, his blood vaporizing and leaving no trace of his existence. I waved my hand, as if to blow away the dust, and then went toward the door to open it.
But I wasn't opening the door to simply air the room. Instead, I glanced up at the roof where a single girl was sitting.
"Seen enough?"
"Interesting, very interesting." The girl was very beautiful, but unlike Lan Bei Er's pure charm, she seemed to radiate some sort of mischievous and demonic air. She had long pink hair with a butterfly-shaped hairpin, and was dressed in a white dress that was rimmed with pink and gold. She looked down on me from above. "Who would have thought that the future son-in-law of the Lan family would be such an expert?"
"Who are you?" I asked, cocking my head to the side and watching her cautiously. "Are you with those two?"
"No, not at all!" The girl burst out laughing. "I apologize for my rudeness. I am Hong Yao Yao, the specially appointed martial arts teacher of the Lan family. In fact, I'm willing to testify on your behalf and serve as a witness that these two foolish servants attempted to take your life, and they deserve death."
"I appreciate it," I said dryly. I had never seen Hong Yao Yao before, but I doubted she was lying. However, while studying her, I noticed something. "Are you…injured?"
"Oh? You can tell?" Hong Yao Yao was taken aback. She then moved a hand toward her back, drawing a dagger. She seemed to think I couldn't see her movements or sense her killing intent. I understood why. She saw me as a threat – if news got out that she was injured, then her enemies would seize the opportunity to attack her. Either that, or she was preparing herself just in case I took advantage of her condition and attacked her right now.
I didn't blame her for being paranoid. I was a demonic cultivator, and such things happened in the Heaven and Earth Sect all the time. The best opportunity to strike was when your rival was injured because it greatly increased the chances of success.
However, I was not in the Heaven and Earth Sect right now.
"Your condition appears peculiar," I observed, studying her. I could detect a wisp of demonic yin qi accumulating inside her heart vein. Unlike Master Lan, it hadn't fully suffused her internal organs and so weren't as complicated to treat. She didn't need something as advanced as the Fire Dragon Pill. "I think I might be able to help you."
"Huh? How?" Hong Yao Yao relaxed, letting go of her dagger and leaving it in its sheath for now. Her hope had flared up when she heard that I could help. Evidently she had been plagued by this condition for a while now and was suffering from not being get rid of the remnants of yin qi completely. Apparently she had been in a fight with another demonic cultivator and his or her strike had left that qi remnant in her heart.
It was dangerous, but it hadn't gotten as serious as Master Lan's condition. Not yet. There was still time, but I had to act fast.
"Forgive me for my rudeness, lady," I said and placed my hand on her chest before she could react. Her eyes bulged, particularly because she realized she didn't see move and wasn't fast enough to respond in time. Not that I cared. I was already executing Heaven and Earth Flowing Spirit to absorb the yin qi. It was sucked out of her heart vein and into my fingers. After a few moments, I withdrew my hand and watched the wisps of black qi rising from my fingers like smoke.
"You…!" Hong Yao Yao began, and then she placed her hand on her chest. "It's gone! The demonic qi is all gone! I'm…cured!"
"Yeah, but you shouldn't force yourself for now. Make sure to rest and you'll fully recover."
"Thank you, I will." Hong Yao Yao paused and stared at me. "What do you want in return?"
"Nothing." I was already turning away. "It's not like you have anything I want anyway."
"You…just who are you?" Hong Yao Yao hesitated, and then she pushed through. "That technique, and the ones you used earlier…those are demonic techniques, aren't they? You're from the Heaven and Earth Sect. Why are you here?"
"Simply to get married." I wasn't worried that I was exposed in front of her because we were the same. "You too…you're a demonic cultivator as well, aren't you? The Blood Valley Sect?"
"Heh…you recognize me too." Hong Yao Yao narrowed her eyes, but unlike before, she emanated no hostility. However, she remained wary. Before she could say anything else, though, I waved my hand.
"Don't worry, I have no interest in whatever agendas or schemes you have. I don't care why you're here. As long as you don't get in my way, I won't get in yours."
"That's a deal, but I still owe you a debt." Hong Yao Yao skipped forward almost daintily and landed next to me. She whispered into my ear. "I'm liking you more and more. How about you give up on Lan Bei Er and marry me instead? I don't think she likes you all that much. On the other hand, I'll be sure to give you plenty of affection~"
"Lady Yao Yao must be kidding." I put some distance between us and raised a hand. "I know she only plans on using me as a shield to avoid getting married to Jian Shen or whoever, but I won't give up. I'll get her to fall for me eventually."
"Oh…? I admire that confidence. But if you ever get depressed after being dumped, you can always come to me. This sister will definitely welcome you to a passionate embrace."
She licked her lips and then winked. I shook my head and returned to my room.
"Well, if you encounter any problems again, let me know."
"I will. Thank you, Sir Hei Ye. Have a good night."
Then she was gone, the only signs of her presence being pink butterflies fluttering in the night sky. I watched the rooftops with narrowed eyes. It wasn't that I trusted her, but it was stupid to make enemies unnecessarily. If she was the specially appointed teacher in the Lan family, then obviously I shouldn't touch her carelessly.
On the other hand, having another demonic cultivator as an ally deep in the territory of the orthodox cultivators might come in useful later…